Manually operated oscillating disc dry shaver



July 18, 1961 A. H. SHOEMAKER 2,992,481

MANUALLY OPERATED OSCILLATING DISC DRY SHAVER Filed Sept. 15, 1958 lNVf/V 70/? 17/)? h. 5/20emaker 25d CJW M United States atent 2,992,481 MAN UALLY OPERATED OSCILLATING DISC DRY SHAVER Alvin H. Shoemaker, 615 th Ave. N., Seattle, Wash. Filed Sept. 15, 1958, Ser. No. 761,159 6 Claims. (Cl. 30-41) My invention relates to improvements in shavers.

An object of my invention is to provide a shaver of simple and elficient construction which is manually operated.

Another object is to provide a manually operated shaver which is fast in operation and one which can not cut or burn the skin.

Another object is to provide a manually operated shaver by which the beard, in its normal dry state, can be closely and evenly shaved.

Other objects are to provide a manually operated shaver which is strong and durable in construction, compact and flat in shape so that it can conveniently be carried in the pocket and is always ready for use and one that is well adapted for quantity production and is not expensive to manufacture.

Another object is to provide a shaver having a shaving head provided with a large number of beard receiving slots extending in many dilferent directions so that, in use, some of the slots will always be presented at the most advantageous angle to receive the whiskers, irrespective of the grain or incline of said whiskers.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings FIGURE 1 is an enlarged plan view of the front or face of a manually operated shaver constructed in accordance with my invention, part of an outer slotted disc being broken away to reveal the construction of an inner slotted disc.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken substantially on broken line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and with two handle members shown closer to each other than they are in FIG. 1.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

This shaver comprises a thin metal disc 5, adapted when in use, to be pressed against the face and herein termed an outer disc. This disc 5 is annularly corrugated and is herein shown as having two concentric outwardly arched convolutions or corrugations 40 and 41 of arcuate cross section and fairly large radii, each provided with generally transverse slots 6 and 7 respectively. The two outwardly directed corrugations 40 and 41 are connected with each other by an inwardly directed arched or trough portion 8 of sharper curvature than said outwardly arched corrugations. The outer disc 5 has a flat central portion 9 and said disc terminates peripherally in a marginal flange 10.

11 is an inner disc having two annular concentric corrugations 42 and 43 of suitable size and shape to mate with the respective corrugations 40 and 41 of the outer disc 5 and connected with each other by a trough shaped portion 16. The outwardly arched corrugations 42 and 43 of the inner disc 11 are respectively provided with closely spaced apart cross slots 12 and 13. Said inner disc 11 has a flat central portion 14 and a peripheral flange 15. The two discs 5 and 11 are of substantially the same diameter and can be formed by stamping and said two discs are accurately made so that the corrugated slotted portions of said discs are normally in close metal to metal contact with each other. Preferably the outer disc 5 is made of very thin metal and the inner disc 11 is made of thicker material for purposes of strength and rigidity and to support the outer disc. The corrugated ice construction of the two discs reinforces them and renders them strong and stiif even though they are made of thin material. I preferably provide two annular concentric corrugations 40, 41 and 42, 43 respectively of outwardly arched or outwardly convex shape in each disc 5 and 11 but it will be understood that one or more outwardly arched corrugations may be used.

The slots 12 and 13 in the inner disc 11 are inclined at angles diflerent from the angles of the slots 6 and 7 in the outer disc 5 so: that when the two discs 5 and 11 are relatively moved angularly the slots in said two discs will be at dilferent angles when they move across each other. This causes the adjacent edges of the slots to have a shearing action when the discs 5 and 11 are relatively moved. I show the slots in the discs. 5 and 11 as slightly oppositely inclined relative to radial lines of said discs and as extending across the outwardly convex corrugations. It will be understood, however, that the positioning and relative arrangement of these slots may be Widely varied and still provide for a shearing action in which the slots are not parallel when they move across each other.

An annularly corrugated backing plate 20, of the same diameter as the discs 5 and 11 and having annular corrugations corresponding to the corrugations of these discs but turned in the opposite direction, is provided on the side of the shaver opposite to the discs 5 and 11. The

backing plate 20 has a medial flat portion 21 and an annular peripheral flange 22. Said backing plate cooperates in providing an ample receptacle for cut whiskers and like disposable material. When the shaver is as sembled the flange 22 is positioned opposite to but spaced from the flange 15 of the disc 11 to provide an exit opening for the disposable material and to facilitate exerting pressure against the central portion of the inner disc 11 as hereinafter explained.

A threaded stud bolt 23 has a head portion 24 which is rigidly secured coaxially, as by soldering or welding, to the flat central portion 14 of the inner disc 11 so that the stud bolt extends outward perpendicularly from the center of said inner disc 11. The head 24 serves as a spacer for part 21 of backing plate 20. A threaded pin or stud with no head can be used in place of the bolt 23 and a washer can be used as a spacer instead of bolt head 24. The stud bolt 23 extends through a suitable axial perforation in the backing plate 20 and the flat part 21 of the backing plate 20 rests against the bolt head 24 and helps to maintain close contact between discs 5 and 11, as hereinafter explained. A handle member 25 has a suitable perforation which fits over the stud bolt 23 and said handle member is secured on stud bolt 23 by two nuts 26 and 27. Preferably the bolt 23 has a flat area 28 on one side thereof which fits against a corresponding flat part in the wall of the perforation of the handle member 25 so that the handle member and stud bolt and inner disc 11 will all be compelled to move angularly as a unit. The handle member 25 terminates in a finger receiving loop 29. The inner nut 26 is clear of the flat part 21 of the backing plate 20 so that the backing plate 20 can be moved rotatively relative to the bolt 23.

An annular snap ring 30, which has a concavely recessed inner side, fits over and receives the marginal flanges 10, 15 and 22 of the discs 5 and 11 and the backing plate 20. This snap ring terminates in handle forming members 31 and 32 which extend outwardly from the peripheral portion of the shaver in converging relation and are shaped to form a finger receiving loop 33. A clamp ring 34 is slidably disposed on the convergent handle forming members 31 and 32. The members 31 and 32 are somewhat resilient. Movement of the clamp ring 34 toward the shaver head will clamp the snap ring 30 firmly on the discs 5 and 11 and backing plate 20..

Movement of said clamp ring 34 outwardly toward the loop 33 will release the snap ring 30 and permit removal of the same from the discs 5 and 11 and backing plate 20 so that cut whiskers and like material can be shaken or blown out through the marginal space between the flanges 15 and 22.

Preferably the inner edges 35 of the snap ring 30 engage with and press inwardly against the curved exterior portions of the disc 5 and backing plate 20 rather than contacting the flanges and 22. When the snap ring 30 is tightened it binds on the disc 5 and plate 20 and a component of this binding force urges the discs 5 and 11 and the backing plate 20 toward each other. The head 24 of the bolt 23 acts as a spacer between the central part of the disc 11 and plate 20 and the convergent pressure exerted by the snap ring 30 against the disc 5 and backing plate 20 results in the two discs 5 and 11 being pressed together at the center and at the periphery thus providing close metal to metal contact between adjacent faces of these discs and insuring efficient cutting at all times. Frictional engagement of the snap ring 30 with the disc 5 and backing plate 20 binds these parts together so they are moved, as a unit, by the snap ring handle member, while the other handle member 25 moves the inner disc 11.

In the use of this shaver the user can insert his thumb into the loop of one handle member and a finger into the loop of the other handle member and shave by moving the shaver over his face while pressing the outer disc 5 against his face and relatively oscillating the two discs 5 and 11 by an opening and closing movement of the hand. The whiskers passing through the slots 6 and 7 in the thin outer disc 5 and entering or passing through the slots 12 and 13 in the thicker inner disc 11 are cut off close to the skin by the shearing action of the edges of the slots. The large number of slots in the two plates 5 and 11 and the constant movement of these plates relative to each other when in use insures that the whiskers will quickly be caused to enter the slots and be cut. This makes the shaver fast and efficient in operation and to a large extent does away with the need for repeatedly going over the same face area when shaving. When the disc 5 is pressed against the face the slots 6 and 7 are applied at a multiplicity of different angles and these angles are constantly changed by angular movement of the disc 5. This insures that substantially all of the whiskers will enter into the slots and be cut irrespective of the direction of movement of the shaver relative to the grain or direction of incline of the whiskers. The thinness of the outer disc 5 helps to bring about close shaving. Also the skin can enter partially into the slots in this outer disc 5, thus contributing to closer shaving.

This shaver is compact, is relatively fiat in shape, is light in weight and can be made in relatively small sizes. It can easily be carried in the pocket, is always ready for use, and its operation is not dependent on the presence of a source of electrical energy.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a shaver, two face to face concentrically corrugated contacting metallic discs mounted for oscillating movement relative to each other about a common central axis, each disc having a multiplicity of narrow slots in an outwardly convex corrugated portion thereof; and two handle members connected with the respective discs and extending outwardly from the peripheral portions of the discs and terminating in finger engaging loops, whereby said discs can be relatively oscillated manually.

2. A shaver comprising two annularly concentrically corrugated discs of thin material mounted in face to face contacting relation for oscillating movement relative to each other about a common axis, each disc having a multiplicity of narrow closely spaced slots extending across at least one outwardly convex annular corrugation thereof, the slots in the two discs being inclined relative to each other providing a shearing movement of the edges of the slots at an angle across each other when the two discs are relatively angularly moved; and two handle members connecting the respective discs and extending outwardly from the peripheral portions of the discs and terminating in finger engaging loops, whereby said discs can be relatively oscillated manually.

3. A shaver comprising two face to face annularly concentrically corrugated contacting thin metal discs of equal diameter mounted for oscillating movement relative to each other about a common central axis, each disc having a multiplicity of narrow slots provided in closely spaced apart relation in the outwardly convex corrugated portions thereof, the slots in the two discs being inclined relative to each other providing a shearing movement of relatively inclined edges of the slots across each other when the two discs are relatively angularly moved; a backing plate of substantially the same diameter as said discs positioned adjacent one side of said discs; a split snap ring frictionaily engaging the peripheral portions of said backing plate and said two discs holding the backing plate and discs in assembled relation; and manually engageable means connected respectively with said snap ring and the innermost disc, whereby said two discs can be relatively oscillated manually.

4. A shaver comprising an outer thin metal annularly concentrically corrugated disc and an inner annularly concentrically corrugated disc of thicker metal than said outer disc, said two discs being of substantially equal diameter and being positioned in face to face contact with their corrugations interfitting, each disc having a multiplicity closely spaced narrow slots in outwardly convex corrugations thereof, the slots in the two discs being inclined relative to each other providing a shearing action of relatively inclined edges of said slots when the discs are relatively angularly moved; a backing plate of approximately the same diameter as said discs positioned in opposed relation to said inner disc providing between said backing plate and said inner disc a receptacle for cuttings; an axial stud bolt rigid with said inner disc and extending axially through said backing plate; a handle rigid with said stud bolt and extending in a generally radial direction beyond the peripheries of said discs and said backing plate; a split snap ring fitting over and frictionally engaging the peripheral portions of said outer disc and said backing plate capable of singularly moving said outer disc and said backing plate and of holding the two discs and the backing plate in assembled relation; and another handle member connected with said split snap ring and extending outwardly therefrom, said two handle members terminating in finger engaging loops, whereby the two discs can be relatively oscillated manually.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which a spacer member is provided in connection with said stud bolt between the medial portions of said inner disc and said backing plate, whereby outward pressure will be exerted by the spacer member on the medial portion of the inner disc when the backing plate is urged toward said inner disc by said split snap ring.

6. A shaver comprising an outer thin metal annularly concentrically corrugated disc and an inner annularly concentrically corrugated disc of thicker metal than said outer disc, said two discs being of substantially equal diameter and being positioned in face to face contact with their corrugations interfitting, each disc having a multiplicity of narrow slots extending across outwardly convex corrugated portions thereof, the slots in the two discs being inclined relative to each other providing a shearing action of relatively inclined edges of said slots when the discs are relatively angularly moved; a concentrically corrugated backing plate of approximately th same diameter as said discs positioned in opposed relation to said inner disc providing between said backing plate and said inner disc a receptacle for cuttings; an axial stud bolt rigid With said inner disc and extending axially through said backing plate; a handle member rigid with said stud bolt and extending in a generally radial direction beyond the peripheries of said discs and said backing plate; a resilient split snap ring of concavo convex cross section fitting over and engaging the peripheral portions of said discs and said backing plate urging the backing plate toward the two discs, the two parts of said snap ring adjacent the split therein extending away from said snap ring in converging relation and constituting parts of another handle member; and a clamp ring movable on said two outwardly convergent handle forming parts capable of clamping said snap ring onto said discs and backing plate, said handle members each terminating in a finger engaging loop, whereby the two discs can be relatively oscillated manually.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Winkle Jan. 17, Johnson Apr. 6, Kotzin Aug. 2, Bahr May 12, Rand Mar. 7, Bailey Nov. 28, Randolph Dec. 12, Servilla May 4,

FOREIGN PATENTS France July 19, Great Britain Aug. 20, France Feb. 2, 

